Price gouging rant...

What would you do? I have been a regular buying from a local shop that has a pretty good selection and great prices. Owner has always been very friendly and Pliny was always on the shelf on Thursday afternoon. I was asked to source some Pliny for a tailgate party and had a box on hold at this store to pick up yesterday. When the total rang up on the register it was just shy of $10/bottle, $3.50 more per bottle than last week. I get it that the only other store in town got their RR plug pulled for selling Beat off the shelf and this is now the only shop in town that has Pliny but a nearly 40% increase? I expressed my concern for the price and was told "take it or leave it, I can sell this for more than that if I wanted, supply and demand bro". A little annoyed I handed my card to the owner and said OK but this is the last time to which he promptly grabbed $150 box of beers off the counter and said I am the owner and can refuse service to anyone so have a great weekend? I have never been treated so poorly and especially from a shop I have frequented and spent a healthy sum of money at. Thoughts?

 

I was out of options at that point after promising some out of towners a taste and told him that this would be the only time I would pay that much. That's when he refused to sell them to me so no I didn't actually end up paying it. I went out of my way to another shop 15 minutes away and paid $6.

 

The place 15 minutes out of the way is out of the way, this place is on my way home from work.

I was thinking about that but didnt know if it would really get anywhere since it's too common these days...

 

I will be shopping at this place now, I have no problem going out of my way to support an honest run local business that treats customers with respect, plus what other bottle shops have a subway in them? haha.

 

It's a husband and wife run organization with no other employees so I don't think Raj even knows what Beer advocate is but I am sure he will like my Yelp review.

When I started shopping here just over a year ago another shop in town sold Pliny and nobody really knew this place had any. He had no bottle limit and was charging $4.99 at that time. Bottles would sit on the shelf for over a week and he was stoked when I would buy 6-12 at a time, then the other shop in town lost their RR account and the demand went to this guys head.. It's a 2 bottle limit now but he was doing me a favor selling me 12 at $9 since I was his "buddy"... He had no idea what Bourbon County was until I told him to bring it in last fall and he thanked me for the help since it flew out his door in a day.

Needless to say he has seen the last of me.

 

Out of options to get enough Pliny for a dozen college buddies flying in today for a Gaint's game from around the country. Once a year trip for this group. There are countless IPA options around me. Typing this while sipping on a Faction Brewing IPA - Fantastic beer!